CNN has announced that it will replace the freshly departed Lou Dobbs with veteran White House correspondent and State of the Union host John King. The new political show will begin airing next year in the 7 p.m. ET timeslot.

The network promises a "definitive political hour that goes well beyond the surface of the day's top stories to provide in-depth analysis and context to key political movements in Washington and across the nation."

King has been with CNN since 1997 and played a large role in the network's Peabody Award-winning coverage of the 2008 election.

The announcement follows Lou Dobbs' abrupt sign-off Wednesday night.

The anchor announced on Lou Dobbs Tonight that it would be his last broadcast, that he had been released from his contract, which ran through 2011, and that he would "pursue new opportunities. ... Some leaders in media, politics and business have been urging me to go beyond my role here at CNN and to engage in constructive problem-solving."

Dobbs, who has been with CNN for all but a few years since its start in 1980, has been a lightning rod for criticism; his advocacy of tougher immigration policies, in particular, drew anger and calls for his ouster from many in the Latino community.

His presence became awkward for CNN, particularly as it began emphasizing reporting and non-opinion shows. He angered management this summer by pressing questions about President Obama's birth site after CNN reporters determined there was no issue.

Dobbs said the decision came after months of discussion with CNN U.S. President Jon Klein. Dobbs mentioned his interest in issues such as health care, jobs, immigration, climate change and the wars.

"For decades, Lou fearlessly and tirelessly pursued some of the most important and complex stories of our time," Klein said in a statement. "Lou has now decided to carry the banner of advocacy journalism elsewhere. We respect his decision."

Dobbs said he was proud of his role in helping to build the first cable news network. He said some leaders in media, politics and business "have been urging me to go beyond my role here at CNN and to engage in constructive problem-solving."

His resignation was hailed by activists who were seeking his ouster.

"Our contention all along was that Lou Dobbs — who has a long history of spreading lies and conspiracy theories about immigrants and Latinos — does not belong on the most trusted name in news," said Roberto Lovato, co-founder of Presente.org. "We are thrilled that Dobbs no longer has the legitimate platform from which to incite fear and hate."

Tom Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the leading Latino legal organization, said, "The Latino community can and should celebrate that Lou Dobbs is no longer on CNN."

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat from Dobbs' home state of New Jersey and the Senate's only Hispanic member, called it "addition by subtraction" for CNN.

Dobbs did not return telephone and e-mail messages to talk about his critics.

The liberal research group Media Matters, which had urged CNN to drop Dobbs, also welcomed the news. "This is a happy day for all those who care about this nation of immigrants and believe in the power of media to elevate the political discourse," said Eric Burns, its president.

CNN's ratings have been sliding; Dobbs' swan song pulled in 879,000 viewers, up from last week's 810,000, but was outpaced by Fox News' Shepard Smith, who pulled in 2.7 million in the same timeslot. However, Dobbs was beating broadcasts from MSNBC's Chris Matthews and CNN's own Campbell Brown.

Dobbs plans to continue his daytime talk-radio show, which is not affiliated with CNN.

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